Friday, July 21, 2023

Is Okra Controversial? Maybe, but I don't care.

I am one of those weird folks who like okra just about any way you might choose to prepare it. I understand there are some who will not touch okra in any form. There are some who think there is no way to rid okra of the slime, and some who just don’t like the taste. This post is not intended to convert you, because if everyone liked okra as much as I do, there might not be enough for all of us and a worldwide okra shortage would get governments involved and that would not be good for anyone.

Without leading you through a list of okra dishes like the shrimp list Benjamin “Bubba” Buford shared with Forrest Gump, my favorite okra dishes include okra boiled in peas or beans, as an ingredient in sausage gumbo, chicken and sausage gumbo, shrimp gumbo, seafood gumbo, chicken and okra stew, sausage and okra stew, chicken and sausage stew, okra stewed with fresh tomatoes, okra sautéed with bacon, onion, or bacon and onion, or that same way with chicken added, or sausage added , or chicken and sausage added, or shrimp, or shrimp and chicken, or cooked alone on the grill or grilled with any or all of the meats mentioned above, with chicken livers and onions in brown gravy, loose fried, batter fried, from a buffet line, or gas station, or meat and three place, a fish fry, pickled okra, and in Creole anything. 

I guess I said I wasn't going to do that. Sorry.

Fresh okra is always better, but frost usually signifies the end of okra grown in the garden season. and switches to grocery okra, either fresh or frozen. Thank goodness, okra freezes well, as full pods or cut into pieces. 1/2 or 3/4 inch pieces is my favorite size for sliced okra. Small pods 2 – 4 inches are best for cooking okra whole or pickling it. If the goal is to slice it for gumbo or to fry, you need to be careful to harvest it before it gets tough, since tough okra might be full of fiber, but is hard to chew. When slicing the stuff, I place the edge of a sharp knife against the pod and if there is much resistance to the sharp edge of the blade, I toss it as being too tough.

 

 Anyhow, here are a few of my favorite recipes.

Okra pods, boiled with, or without peas or beans. 

I’m not sure my grandmother ever cooked purple hull peas without adding at least a few small pods of okra. I think she liked the flavor, but I had several uncles who would have looked at the serving bowl on the dining table and said, “I see the peas, but where is my okra.” If she had left it out.

To cook boiled okra, select smallish pods and trim the tops off. There is a point just below the tough stem that I cut through when cutting off the stem to leave a sealed top on the pod. You can trim away the bloom end or leave it. Lots of folks just leave the tough stem attached also when they boil their okra and discard it on the plate.



To boil okra, place the pods in a boiler, add water to cover, a little butter or oil, a half teaspoon of sugar and salt, then boil until the pods are tender. Yes, there will be slime. I love the taste, so I am never bothered by a little slime which is just a part of eating boiled okra. As good as okra is by itself, it is even better cooked with purple hull peas. By now, you probably know I am happy to be a simple country boy southerner. As such, I could have a dinner composed of nothing more than peas or beans cooked with okra and topped with Cornbread and chopped onion. To cook these, just add the okra to however you cook peas or beans. I do them exactly the same as okra cooked by itself.





Loose Fried

Loose fried with cornmeal is how my mom pan fried the okra we had before batter-breaded fried okra became so popular. To me, this is "Old School" fried okra. 

To loose fry okra, cut the pods into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces and add to a hot skillet with a few Tablespoons of vegetable oil or bacon fat. Salt and pepper the okra, then add a Tablespoon or two of cornmeal. stir and cook until the okra is done. You may need to add a little more oil as the okra cooks, and you may need to drain it on a paper towel when you remove it from the skillet. Sometimes, I will add a little chopped onion to the skillet while cooking the okra.








Proof that I am an okra fan is shown in this plate with loose fried okra and okra boiled with peas. The garden tomato and cornbread are just really good additions to a nice vegetable meal.



Batter Fried. 

I love the fact that pretty much any gas station that sells fried chicken also sells fried bater coated okra. I have seen lots of folks walk the hot food cabinet at the gas station and then buy a large portion of fried okra to eat as a tasty snack or meal. I am one of those folks who occasionally eat at buffet restaurants, Cracker Barrel, and places like Piccadilly’s or Bubba's meat and three cafe. When we do eat at those places, I always get fried okra with my meat and veggies. My batter fried okra is not as pretty as gas station batter fried, but I always enjoy eating it. 

I do mine with sliced okra, buttermilk, salt and pepper, cornmeal and oil for deep frying, as opposed to using a lot less oil for pan frying lose okra.



I add the buttermilk, salt and black pepper to the bowl containing the cut okra pieces, then add corn meal, with enough buttermilk and cornmeal used to make sticky coated pieces of okra.





Then I fry the coated pieces in 350 degree oil until they brown and crunchy. Gas Station batter fried okra is cooked from frozen, with the nice consistent coating you get from frozen battered okra. Mine is cooked from fresh with wet batter, so it is never as pretty, but the taste is great. Be sure to salt the pods as soon as they come out of the frying oil to make the salt stick.




Not bad with butterbeans cooked with lady peas, fresh garden tomatoes, and a pork chop



If you want gas station or buffet style batter fried okra, just run down to Piggly Wiggly or Kroger and buy pre breaded frozen. It will be good too. I'm just a "Do it myself" kind of guy. If I cooked it with a fish fry, I would probably us frozen grocery store okra also.

Creole Okra Dishes

In my opinion, the main difference in Creole and Cajun dishes is the tomato you often find in Creole dishes. Maybe okra too. One dish we eat a lot at our house is frozen or fresh sliced okra, pan fried with tomatoes, onion, bacon, sausage, chicken, pork, shrimp or some combination of those meats.

At our house, these dishes start with bacon, fried and set aside, with the oil used in the dish and the bacon sprinkled over the cooked dish when served. 




The sliced okra is added to a hot skillet with bacon fat, just like loose fried, except no corn meal is added. At this point I usually add salt, pepper and diced onion.




When the onion begins to get tender and translucent, add tomato cut into pieces. Fresh from the garden or produce stand tomatoes are best, but I use drained canned tomatoes all the time too.



Season with pepper, garlic salt, and your favorite brand of Cajun or Creole Seasoning. I like to use a lot of garlic salt, which has salt, and so does Cajun Seasoning, so I am careful to not add salt until the end, after tasting the dish.




Continue cooking until the tomatoes are cooked and the contents are dried then add the bacon.




If you like, you can add cooked chicken pieces, or sausage, or pork pieces. or shrimp, If adding any of these, it is best to precook them and add at the end when the okra and tomatoes are done. If adding shrimp, it can be added raw , since it will quickly cook in a hot pan.

This dish can be served with other vegetables on a plate, or in a bowl with rice or nothing else added.

This one has dirty rice and a bowl of greens. I am sure there is cornbread hiding off camera.


This one has ham and bacon. Pretty isn't it? Tastes good too.


Here it is as a side with peas and okra


And as a one dish meal, with bacon and chicken.


This one has cooked pork pieces added.



With sausage and shrimp.


Hope you enjoyed seeing so much okra cooked so many ways.

Thanks for looking at my post.

God Bless you.


27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nothing like the fighting okra

Anonymous said...

Damn, sent this to my wife as a hint. Love Okra and began eating it in earnest years ago after being recommended by a GI Doc.

"The fiber in okra has been found to be a demulcent, soothing to the intestinal tract, and potentially helpful in cases of gastritis. In fact, the mucilage in okra has been shown to have anti-adhesive properties that block the adhesion and colonization of Helicobacter pylori bacteria to stomach lining".

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately, I love the unhealthiest version of okra, fried. Just okra, cornmeal, salt, pepper and a touch of cayenne. Fry to very crispy, almost the texture of popcorn.

Stuff About ZeroBear PolyBear said...

11:10

I worked for Baxter in Cleveland back when they were dominant in Women's Basketball. Cleveland was an interesting town back then. In case anyone wants to know, it gets hot as the blazes in the delta in the summer.

Today already reminds me of days back then, and cutting the grass when it was close to 100 degrees. As much as I can remember, there was no such thing as Heat index back then. What the dry air thermometer said, it wa what it was with no "Feels like 100 degree".

Here's to some fighting okra right back at ya.

Stuff About ZeroBear PolyBear said...

11:23 I was just going to say that stuff about helicopter pie backerteria.

Stuff About ZeroBear PolyBear said...

11:28 - nothing bad about liking it cooked that way. Read 11:23's post about the Fighting Okras beating up on them dreaded Helicopter piefaced Backerterias.

Anonymous said...

My momma's going to cook fried okra at the Neshoba County Fair for lunch on Sunday.

Anonymous said...

What a great collection of okra recipes. I'm nearly 70 and swear my mama and grandma cooked okra every way mentioned. I love them all.

If you don't grow your own in a garden, now's the time to get some fresh okra from the farmers market for your dinner and your freezer.

Anonymous said...

I love okra in my gumbo, I always worry about it getting slimy so I started running it through a food processor and making a big ole green slimeball. I stir that into my gumbo and it vanishes, I get the thickening and flavor and no one even knows it's in there.

Anonymous said...

I grow okra and cook every one of those often. There are three more that I like: steamed and sprinkled with lemon juice, roasted in the oven, and pan fried with some curry-type spices.
Your photos are always beautiful.

Anonymous said...

Okra (prepared any way), fresh garden tomato, fresh field peas, cornbread - manna from Heaven!!!

Anonymous said...

I enjoy okra, especially in Gumbo. I tease those who are squeamish toward it that one can just start to sip the tip of a big spoonful of okra Gumbo and the rest would follow it off the spoon.

Anonymous said...

i like it seared in a hot pan with just olive oil salt and pepper and then finish it in the oven until just tender and while warm toss it in a little butter to finish

Anonymous said...

My mom made an okra salad- boiled okra, chopped onions, sliced boiled eggs with french dressings. Chill for an hour or so. Really really tasty.

Albert Schweitzer, M.D. said...



Apparently okra originated in southwestern africa.

The Nigerian word for okua is "gumbo".

Think about that when someone offers you gumbo made with file rather than with okra.

Anonymous said...

Unless I missed it, this tribute to okra overlooked its highest and best use. A proper bloody mary is served with a pickled okra on a wooden skewer. Bacon, olives, celery and other vegetables are optional, but okra is an essential ingredient of a proper bloody mary.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Bear, I really like your post. It is one of the nice things Mr. Fish post. We get enough slime from political comments so slime from okra is better some days.

Anonymous said...

It’s so easy to get the slime out, I taught everyone knew!

Stuff About ZeroBear PolyBear said...

A couple of years a back, I started precooking my okra for gumbo in the oven. 350 for 30-45 minutes, seasoned with salt, black pepper, Slap Ya Momma and a little oil. All of the slim cooks away during this precook and the flavor remains in my gumbo. If I start this way, by the time I am ready to add it, the okra is cooked the way I like it and ready to add.

Stuff About ZeroBear PolyBear said...

I forgot to mention dehydrated okra (dry and crisp). We found it at Fresh Market several ears back and still buy it from time to time. It is a salty, crunchy snack treat. I'm not sure what you might make with it, maybe crumble it and coat stuff with it for frying stuff. I just grab a handful and eat them like chips. It is a little expensive, but a very nice "why did we buy this" purchase.

I had a photo somewhere on my computer but I can't find it.

Anonymous said...

You can dehydrate it yourself !

Anonymous said...

Have you ever tried Cowhorn, the plant can grow 10 feet high, you pick it when the fruit is 10-12 inches !

Stuff About ZeroBear PolyBear said...

9:11 PM

I am the wrong person to ask about dehydrating anything. The dried okra from Fresh Market is slightly salty and crunchy dry if that helps you. We don't own a dehydrator, so I have zero experience.

I do like dehydrated okra and banana chips though

Stuff About ZeroBear PolyBear said...

9:14 That is a variety I am not familiar with.

Anonymous said...

I’d be happy if the okra bloom was the state flower.

Anonymous said...

It’s grown in Louiana and Txus

Anonymous said...

I have found okra growing wild along irrigation ditches in Broommfield, CO, 50 years ago. Roomates and I all rode out from Denver on motorcycles to one of their family farms, late summer, and picked corn, squash and okra. Boiled the corn & okra and baked the squash with butter, salt and pepper, added fresh tomatoes for a memorable dinner.


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